Tales from the Blue Fairy Book – Andrew Lang

Lang’s Blue Fairy Book bursts with classic tales from around the globe, including East of the Sun West of the Moon, The Bronze Ring, The White Cat, The Stars in the Sky, and more. From princesses to fairies, kings to dwarfs, there’s a magical happily ever after for both girls and boys.

FAIRIES ARE REAL. ALSO REAL: Dragons, maidens, knights, goblins, unicorns, trolls, mermaids, genies, witches, flying carpets, Baba Yaga, Rumplestiltzkin, leprechauns, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, heroes, villains, hope, joy, fear, sadness, courage, honor, valor, and above all, love. Make no bones about it! Though we may not be able to touch, see, or capture these things, they exist! Indeed, they have existed since time began, and will exist forever!

In 1889, when Andrew Lang published The Blue Fairy Book, the first in a volume of collected tales from across the globe, the Western World was in transition. In France, the Eiffel Tower was inaugurated and the Moulin Rouge cabaret opened its doors; the Edison General Electric Company installed electricity in the White House of President Benjamin Harrison; and female adventurer/pioneer Nellie Bly shattered Jules Verne’s “80-Day Round-the-World-Voyage” by more than a week! When Lang’s modest and rough-hewn anthology hit bookshelves, the Western World was moving faster into modernity than it had ever progressed before, yet still it was a hit.

Tales From the Blue Fairy Book asked its readers to slow down and find joy and meaning in the stories of the past—of our shared human past— when life was simpler, more innocent, and fantastical. We, too, ask you to sit back and awaken the kid inside you. Tickle your imagination, throw away doubt, believe in fairies, and take the journey to “once upon a time”!